Grapevine named &#34;PETIT MERLOT&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct variety of grapevine named ‘Petit Merlot’, primarily adapted to the growing conditions of the temperate regions, and characterized by its medium vigor; erect growth habit; medium sized, circular shaped leaves; small, conical, medium dense berry clusters with two middle size wings; blue-black berries with slightly firm flesh, none to herbaceous taste and none to very weak flesh coloration; primary use for wine; and resistance to winter temperatures (to −22° C.), resistance to downy mildew, and tolerance to powdery mildew.

LATIN NAME OF THE GENUS AND SPECIES OF THE PLANT CLAIMED

Vitis×vinifera (hybrid)

VARIETY NAME

‘Petit Merlot

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct summer/fall bearing grapevine variety, botanically known as Vitis vinifera, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Petit Merlot’.

The new grapevine ‘Petit Merlot’ is a product of a controlled breeding program conducted by the inventors in Udine, Italy. The objective of the breeding program was to develop a new grapevine variety particularly characterized by resistance to cold (<−20° C.), resistance to downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola), and tolerance to powdery mildew (Uncinula necator).

The new grapevine ‘Petit Merlot’ originated from a cross made by the inventors in 2002 in Udine, Italy. The female or seed parent is the grapevine variety, Vitis vinifera cv. ‘Merlot’ (unpatented), and the male or pollen parent is the grapevine variety, Vitis cv. ‘20/3’ (Bianca×SK77-4/5) (unpatented).

The new grapevine ‘Petit Merlot’ was discovered and selected by the inventors as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in 2002 in Udine, Italy. Asexual reproduction of the new grapevine variety by grafting was first performed in February 2004 in Rauscedo, Friuli Venezia Giulia region, Italy, and has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for the new cultivar are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction. The new cultivar reproduces true to type.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

‘Petit Merlot’ is primarily adapted to the climate and growing conditions of the temperate regions with average yearly temperature about 13° C., minimum winter temperature about −20° C., annual rainfall around 700-1500 mm of rain (e.g. North-Eastern Italy, Friuli) . This region provides the necessary year-round temperatures required for it to produce and maintain a strong vigorous plant with consistent fruit production from April through November on primocanes and in the ensuing year from April through November on the floricanes.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be unique characteristics of ‘Petit Merlot’, which in combination distinguish this grapevine plant as a new and distinct variety.

1. Medium vigor; 2. Erect growth habit; 3. Medium sized, circular shaped leaves with medium to medium green upper surfaces and light green lower surfaces and, medium texture; 4. Small, conical, medium dense berry clusters with two middle size wings; blue-black berries with slightly firm flesh, none to herbaceous taste, and none to very weak flesh coloration; primarily used for wine and maturing in early September (Middle Friuli, North-Eastern Italy); 5. Primocanes and floricanes with a circular cross section, brownish colour, no lenticels, and short-medium internodes (diameter 8 mm); 6. Harvesting time in early September (Middle Friuli, North-Eastern Italy); and 7. Resistance to winter temperature (−22° C.), resistance to downy mildew, and tolerance to powdery mildew.

Plants of the new grapevine ‘Petit Merlot differ from plants of the parents, Vitis vinifera ‘Merlot’ (unpatented) and Vitis cross ‘20/3’ (unpatented), in the following characteristics described in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Comparison with parent varieties Female Parent Male Parent Charac- New Cultivar ‘Merlot’ ‘20/3’ teristic ‘Petit Merlot’ (unpatented) (unpatented) vigor: medium medium medium growth erect horizontal semi-erect habit leaf small to med- medium, Medium size, ium, medium to dark green color light green color dark green color (upper surface), (upper surface), (upper surface), green color (low- green color (low- light green color er surface), very er surface), no (lower surface), few hairs in both hairs in both sur- no hairs in both surfaces, wedge faces, wedge- surfaces, wedge shape, medium shaped-kidney- shape, medium texture shaped, medium texture, texture cluster low weight, con- low weight, long, low weight, conical, ical with two with 1-2 wings, with 1-2 wings, middle size wings, medium, berry medium dense, ber- loose or medium skin with blue ry skin with green- dense, berry skin black color, soft yellow color, slight- with blueblack flesh, neutral ly firm flesh, neu- colour, soft flesh, taste, no flesh tral taste, no flesh neutral taste, coloration coloration no flesh colora- tion primo- circular cross circular cross oblate cross section, cane and section, brownish section, brownish brownish color, floricane colour, lenticels: color, lenticels: lenticels: absent, absent, short- absent, short- medium internodes, medium inter- medium inter- diameter small nodes, diameter: nodes, diameter (about 8 mm) small (about small (about 8 mm) 8 mm) harvest- First decade Early-medium Early (end August, ing time September (Mid- early September Middle Friuli, dle Friuli, North- (Middle Friuli, North-Eastern Eastern Italy), North-Eastern Italy) Italy) resis- resistant to win- Average resis- resistant to winter tances ter temperature tance to winter temperature not (−22° C.), resis- temperature (−22° checked, resistant tant to downy re- C.), very low re- to downy mildew, sistant to downy sistance to downy resistant to pow- mildew, tolerant mildew, very low dery mildew to powdery mil- resistance to pow- dew. dery mildew

Of the many commercial cultivars known to the present inventor, the most similar to the new grapevine ‘Petit Merlot’ is the female parent ‘Merlot’, to which a comparison has been provided above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new grapevine Petit Merlot showing the colors as true as is reasonably possible with colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description, which accurately describe the color of Petit Merlot.

FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B show a typical fruit cluster of ‘Petit Merlot’ taken on Sep. 9, 2012, in Udine, Italy.

FIG. 2 shows a typical mature leaf (upper surface, left and lower surface, right) of ‘Petit Merlot’ taken on May 31, 2012, in Udine, Italy.

FIG. 3 shows a typical mature vine of ‘Petit Merlot’ taken on Aug. 3, 2012.

FIG. 4 shows a close-up view of typical mature fruit of ‘Petit Merlot’ taken on Sep. 9, 2012, in Udine, Italy.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following description of ‘Petit Merlot’ unless otherwise noted, is based on observations taken during the 2011, 2012, and 2013 growing seasons(s) in Udine, Italy and Fossalon di Grado (GO), Italy. from plants dug from a nursery located in Rauscedo (PN), Italy during the beginning of December 2007 and planted approximately 16 to 20 weeks later in Udine, Italy and Fossalon di Grado (GO), Italy. The phenotypical descriptions and color designations stated for the new variety may vary, depending upon variations in environmental factors, including weather (temperature, humidity and light intensity), day length, soil type, location and cultural conditions. ‘Petit Merlot’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions.

‘Merlot’ Characteristic ‘Petit Merlot’ (unpatented) GENERAL Resistance to Resistant to downy Susceptible to downy pest/disease mildew, tolerant to mildew and to pow- powdery mildew dery mildew Resistance to Resistant to winter Resistant to winter natural elements cold down to −23° C. cold down to −22° C. VINE Vigor medium medium Trunk diameter 6 cm (6 yrs-old plant) 6 cm (6 yrs-old plant) Bark color Dark brown Dark brown underbark color Light brown Light brown texture n.a. n.a. Canes length Internode length Internode length cm 10.5 about cm 10 width 8 mm 8 mm Shoots shape Erected, cross section: Horizontal, cross section: circular, surface: with circular, surface: smooth, stripes, nodes and inter- nodes and internodes with- nodes without hairs out hairs color internodes with red and Internodes with green col- green pigmentation on our on ventral and dorsal both sides, nodes with side, nodes with green ven- red and green dorsal side tral and dorsal side and green ventral side Tendrils form Bifid or trifid bifid color Green Green texture normal normal number 2 or <2 consecutive 2 or <2 consecutive Buds size average average shape round round color Light brown Light brown number 2/node 2/node time of early early-medium budbreak LEAVES Size medium medium Number of n.a. n.a. leaflets Glossiness Medium medium Cross section Twisted Flat shape Color (immature) Upper surface Light green Light green Under surface green green Color (mature) Upper surface Medium green Dark green Under surface green green Petiole Length (cm)  6.2  6.0 Color (upper green green surface) Color (under green green surface) Stipule n.a. n.a. orientation FLOWERS Flowering period Early June Early June (time of beginning of flowering) Sex hermaphrodite hermaphrodite Size Average average Diameter (cm) 0.3 (stamens) 0.3 (stamens) Fragrance n.a. n.a. Flower number n.a. n.a. (at 3^(rd) node from tip of lateral mean and range) Petals Length (cm) n.a. n.a. Width (cm) n.a. n.a. Overall shape calyptra calyptra Color (immature) green green Upper surface Under surface Color (mature) green green Upper surface Under surface Sepals Length (cm) n.a. n.a. Width (cm) n.a. n.a. Overall shape n.a. n.a. Color (immature) n.a. n.a. Upper surface Under surface Color (mature) n.a. n.a. Upper surface Under surface Pedicel Length (mm) 45 (cluster)  45 Color green green FRUIT Primocane time September 6th September 7th of fruiting (1^(st) pick) Clusters cluster weight Low (g 160) Low (g 160) cluster shape conical conical cluster length mm 170 medium avg. berries 180 180 per cluster avg. clusters  2  2 per shoot Berries Berry size g 1.67 g 1.80 Berry length  1.60  1.50 (cm) Berry width  1.60  1.50 (cm) Overall shape broad ellipsoid Broad ellipsoid of berry Berry Texture soft soft Berry Color green green (immature) Berry Color Blue black Blue black (mature) Soluble solids  22.4  22.0 (%) Titratable  5.1  5.5 acidity (as g/L tartaric acid) Sugar/acid ratio  4.4  4.0 Firmness soft soft Seeds 2-3 2-3 Skin cracking? no rarely Juice color transparent transparent Berry taste Neutral neutral Eating quality n.a. n.a. Berry uses wine wine Shipping n.a. n.a. quality 

What is claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct grapevine, referred to as ‘Petit Merlot’, as herein described and illustrated by the characteristics set forth above. 